Tour de Yorkshire route revealed

The cycle race will take place on May 1st, 2nd and 3rd and the final stage will start in Wakefield.

After leaving the city the cyclist will head along Barnsley Road, past Newmillerdam and towards Barnsley before heading to Holmfirth, on to Ripponden before riding Cragg Vale – which in last year’s Tour de France was the longest continual climb and now will be the longest continual descent.

Riders will then make their way to Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope and through the cobbled streets of Haworth.

After a steep climb at Goose Eye the riders will head to Ilkley, climb past the Cow and Calf before a sprint point at Arthington and then onto the finish line in Roundhay Park in Leeds.

Stage one of the race will start in Bridlington and finish 174km later up the coast in Scarborough.

The riders will pass through coastal scenery and the North York Moors landscapes.

From the start line in Bridlington the riders will head along the Flamborough Head Heritage Coast before into the North York Moors National Park, through Dalby Forest and towards Pickering.

They will then t journey back to the coast at Whitby before heading south to Robin Hood’s Bay and the finish line on the seafront at Scarborough.

Stage two, on Saturday, May 2, is specially made for the sprinters. It will start outside Selby Abbey. The route takes in much of the Wolds, Market Weighton, and heads through North Newbald and on to Beverley.

It will then head north to Malton and onto Stamford Bridge. Spectators will have the chance to see a circuit of York and organisers are hoping for a dramatic finish in the town.

Thierry Gouvenou, Tour de France’s Sports Director, who designed the race route, said; “Yorkshire offers so much with its huge variety of landscapes. For this first edition we have three quite different stages, each with their own challenges and, seen as a whole, a very exciting addition to European racing. This first edition will suit a strong all-rounder rider. In the following years we will change the routes, taking in new places and offering something new each time”.

Welcome to Yorkshire is also organising a month long Tour de Yorkshire Festival, to showcase the country’s rich and diverse cultural offering

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said; “Before the Grand Départ had even finished people all across Yorkshire were asking when we can have more cycling! The Tour de Yorkshire will bring back many of the world’s top cycling teams and there will be an opportunity for ordinary people to ride the same roads on the same day in the sportive. And this is a free event to watch so there is an opportunity for everyone in the county to be part of Tour de Yorkshire in one way or another.”

The race will be shown live on television in the UK and across Europe.